Santiago roughed up early as Angels fall to Yankees, 9-2

Angels pitcher Hector Santiago has his head down after returning to the dugout in the second inning of Wednesday's game against the Yankees. CHRISTINE COTTER, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

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Angels outfielders Mike Trout, front, and Collin Cowgill collide on a fly ball by the Yankees' Derek Jeter in the first inning Wednesday. Cowgill was charged with an error. CHRISTINE COTTER, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

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Angels pitcher Hector Santiago returns to the dugout after giving up five runs in the first inning to the Yankees. CHRISTINE COTTER, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

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The Yankees' Derek Jeter hits a solo home run in the second inning of Wednesday's game against the Angels. CHRISTINE COTTER, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

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Angels left fielder Grant Green can't quite reach a home run ball off the bat of the Yankees' Derek Jeter in the second inning Wednesday. CHRISTINE COTTER, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

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Angels second baseman Howie Kendrick can't catch up to a ball off the bat of the Yankees' Jacoby Ellsbury in the eighth inning. CHRISTINE COTTER, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Angels pitcher Hector Santiago has his head down after returning to the dugout in the second inning of Wednesday's game against the Yankees. CHRISTINE COTTER, STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

ANAHEIM – Hector Santiago pitched poorly and disrespected his manager Wednesday, and he recognized both mistakes.

The struggling Angels left-hander showed up Mike Scioscia by walking off the mound when the manager headed there to remove him in the third inning of a 9-2 loss to the New York Yankees at Angel Stadium. The two met several steps off the mound and Santiago handed him the ball angrily.

“That’s almost childish right there, walking off on him,” Santiago said afterward. “I apologized to him already maybe four times. … That’s just me being a competitor, wanting to be out there. I was just disappointed in myself when I saw that right arm go up to the bullpen.”

Santiago struggled from the get-go, although a couple bad plays in the field didn’t help. He walked the first Yankee. Then Derek Jeter’s routine fly ball was dropped when Mike Trout and Collin Cowgill ran into each other. Cowgill was charged with an error. Santiago allowed another walk and a two-run double.

“It's just a tough start for him,” Scioscia said. “Even if you take away those miscues, Hector was just not effective tonight and that's disappointing.”

After another run scored in the first, Santiago induced a comebacker from Brett Gardner, only to miss Albert Pujols at first base with an erratic throw, allowing one more run to come in.

Worse, both Santiago and Pujols appeared to hurt themselves on the play, the left-hander turning his right ankle and Pujols massaging his left elbow. But they stayed in the game, and Santiago gave up a homer to Derek Jeter in the second inning for New York’s sixth run.

In all, he was charged with six runs, only two of which were earned, in 2 1/3 innings, allowing five hits and three walks.

The Angels (16-17) are 0-7 when Santiago starts and 16-10 when anyone else starts, a mammoth discrepancy reminiscent of Joe Blanton. The Angels opened 2013 with eight straight losses in Blanton starts.

“Right now, it’s like I’m not even giving us a chance to win,” Santiago said.

The Angels got a run in the second inning on back-to-back singles from Howie Kendrick and C.J. Cron and an Erick Aybar groundout. They added one more in the eighth, when Trout led off with a walk and Cron delivered a two-out double.

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